Building A Computer Steps...
I see so
many people who settle for store bought specs on computers. Why settle for a
range of specs when you can push it to the limits. If you want the best
computer possible for the cheapest amount of money possible
then lets start with the basics and move onto building it. The first thing you
need to do is find out what the computer is going to be used for. Common
build-types: Overclocking-Gaming, Regular-Gaming, Upper Office, and Entry-Level
Office Computers. Of course there are variations on these types of builds, but
most follow these formats. These different types of computers all use different
types/quality of hardware. It is important to choose appropriate hardware for
each kind of build, so you donÂ’t wastemoney or get an underperforming
machine.
Do Your Homework
After deciding what kind of computer to build, its time for some
research. A new computer can cost anywhere between $200 and upwards of $3000
(more if you get really crazy). If you are spending that much money, you might as well make sure
you do it right.
Choosing Parts for your new
computer
Ok, now you know some of the basics of computer parts and perhaps know some
parts to avoid, which brand names are good, etc. Now it is time to choose the
parts to your computer. This section will focus on some considerations for you
as you build your computer.
One common source of confusion is
the prices of similar products. For example, one 512 MB stick of RAM can cost
between $50 and $250. People may find them asking themselves what the
difference between two similar looking parts, but very different prices. When
similar parts have very different prices, this is where your choice of the type
of computer is vital. Expensive parts are normally intended for Overclocking or
Gaming computers, while the cheaper parts are normally intended for Office
Computers.
Brand names of parts is another thing that should be considered
when building a computer.
Just like many other things, brand names may determine the reliability and performance of a part. Some
manufacturers just choose to make products in favor of quality, while some in
the favor of value, and some are in between somewhere. The key here is matching
your needs with the appropriate budget and performance needs. This is
also where your research comes in handy. Without research you would never know
that a certain part is prone to problems.
Another thing to consider, while
building, is upgradeability. By the way computers go, in a year or so, the one
you build will be out of date. Choose parts that have room for expansion and easy
replacement. Again, research is important here.
One more thing to consider is
your performance needs. Remember when you picked out which computer
type you were building? That is defining your performance needs.
Someone who uses a computer for word processing, email, and web browsing will
not need a high-end video card. On the other hand, video cards are the most
important part of the computer when it comes to gaming.
Checklist for a computer build:
CPU
Motherboard
RAM
Video Card
Hard Drive
Optical Drive
Power Supply
Case
Speakers
Monitor
Mouse
Keyboard
Operating System
I wont say which CPU,
Motherboard, etc to pick. That’s what your research should have told you. Just
make sure you have everything on that list, and you should be all set.
Step One: Mount Your Motherboard
To start, open up your case’s
box, take out the case, and open it up. Usually this involves unscrewing a few
thumb screws on the back of your case and sliding the side panels off. Take a
good look around your case and get acquainted; note where the hard drive bays
are, where your CD drive will go, whether the power supply mounts on the top or
the bottom, and so on. There should also be a bag of screws inside your case;
grab that now and set it aside because we’ll need it in a few minutes.
Open up your motherboard box and
take out the I/O shield, which is the metal plate that protects the ports on
the back of your motherboard. You should see a rectangular space in the back of
your case where this should go. Snap it into place. This takes quite a bit of
force, so make sure all four sides are snapped in securely.
Next, pull out your motherboard and line up the ports on the back
with the IO shield. You should see that the holes on your motherboard line up
with screw holes on the bottom of your case. There are probably more holes on
your case than there are on your motherboard, so note which ones these are, and
grab your motherboard standoffs from your bag of screws (they have a male screw
end on one side, and a female screw hole on the other side). Screw the
standoffs into those holes, and set your motherboard on top of them. Screw your
motherboard screws into the standoffs so the motherboard is snugly mounted.
Step Two: Install Your Processor
Open up your processor’s box and
gently take it out. Your processor is one of the more fragile parts of the
build, so this is one step in which you’ll want to be careful. Find the coner
of your processor that has a gold arrow on it, then look at your motherboard’s
processor socket for a similar arrowed corner. Line these two arrows up; this
is the direction your processor will go into the socket.
Lift up the lever on the
processor socket and put your processor in (Intel motherboards might also have
a cover you have to lift up first). Pull the lever down to lock it into place.
Again, do this gently it shouldn’t require any feats of strength on your part,
so if it isn’t falling into place easily, something’s wrong. Take it out and
try re-setting it, make sure your two arrows are lined up, and of course,
double check that your motherboard and processor are of the same
socket type.
Once your processor’s in, grab the cooler that came with your
processor (remember, if you got an OEM processor you have to buy a cooler
separately). It should already have some silver thermal paste on the bottom. If
not, you’ll need to pick some up from the computer store and put a very thin line on your processor I
usually use about the size of a grain of rice or two, that’s all.
Set your cooler on top of your processor. If you have an Intel
cooler, you’ll need to press down on the four pins until the click, and then
twisting the top of the peg so they lock into place. You can find more info on this in your
processor’s manual (it takes a few tries, trust me). AMD coolers, like the one
in the above video, are much easier just hook the two latches on the sides onto
the motherboard’s square pegs, and pull the lever down to lock it into place.
Step Three: Install Your RAM
Installing RAM is very simple. Find the RAM sockets on your motherboard, and
pull the two clips on the side down. Line up the notch in your RAM stick with
the notch in the socket, and press the RAM down into place. This might take a
bit of pressure, so don’t worry about being overly gentle. The clips should
snap back into place when the RAM is fully in the socket.
Step Four: Install Your PCI Cards
For your video card (or any other PCI expansion card), find the topmost slot
that fits your card and match that up with its plate on the back of the case.
Remove that plate and slide the PCI card’s bracket in its place. The card
should then be sitting on top of the socket, and all you need to do is press
down to lock it into place. Screw the bracket onto the case, and you’re good to
go.
Note that if you need to remove
it for any reason, there may be a small lever on the back of the socket you
need to press before you pull it out.
Step Five: Install Your Hard Drive
Every case is a little bit different in how they install hard drives.
Generally, there are two methods: on some cases, you have to pull out a hard
drive tray, put the drive in, screw it in securely, and then slide the tray
back in. Other motherboards just require you to slide the bare drive into the
bay and then screw it in snug after the fact. Check your case’s manual for more
detailed instructions on this particular step.
If you’re using multiple hard
drives and a big case, it’s usually a good idea to leave some open space
between them that is, putting them in the first and third bays instead of first
and second. This allows for more airflow between them and will help keep them
running cool.
Step Six: Install Your Optical Drive
The optical drive should be pretty self-explanatory. Just pull out the plastic
cover on one of your 5.25 drive bays and slide in your optical drive. Screw it
into place if necessary.
Step Seven: Mount Your Power Supply
Once everything else is in, it’s time to install your power supply and plug
everything in. (Note that if your case came with a power supply, you can skip
this step, as it’ll already be installed). It should be pretty obvious where
your power supply goes, as there will be a big rectangular hole on the back of
your case. Some power supplys mount on the top, while some sit on the bottom of
the case. Generally, they mount with the fan facing away from the edge of the
case, unless that case has enough space in between the power supply mount and the
end of the case to allow for airflow.
Once you set it into place, you
should see the holes on the back of the case line up with the screw holes in
the power supply. Screw it into place and you’re all set.
Step Eight: Plug Everything In
This can be the most tedious and difficult part of the process, depending on
your case and power supply. Separate the cords coming out of your power supply
and plug them in individually. These are the ones you should have:
A 24-pin Motherboard Cable: This
is the biggest cable on the power supply, which gives the motherboard the
electricity it needs to run. It has the very long plug with, you guessed it, 24
little pins in it. Most cases should have a 20-pin with a 4-pin on the same
cable, so you can just put them together and plug them into the big 24-pin
socket on your motherboard. It should lock into place, and might take a bit of
strength to get it in all the way. Push it in until you hear the click and you
can’t pull it out with just a slight tug.
A 4-pin Motherboard Cable: You
should also have a separate 4-pin cable coming out of your power supply, and a
small 4-pin socket somewhere else on the motherboard. This plugs in the same
was as the 24-pin cable just push down until it locks into place.
SATA Power and Data Cables: Your
hard drives and optical drive plug in via SATA, which contains two cables. One
is the skinny black plug coming out of your power supply, which gives power to
those drives. The other is a small red cable that should have come with your
motherboard; this is the SATA cable that actually transfers data between your
hard drive and everything else.
Plug the power cable into the
long pin on your hard drive, and plug the data cable into the short pin. The
sockets are L-shaped, so they’ll only go in one way. After plugging both cables
into the drive, be sure to plug the other end of the data cable into your
motherboard, in the sockets labelled SATA. Repeat this entire process with your
optical drive.
Molex Power Cables: Your Molex
cables power other miscellaneous things in your build, like the case fans. Take
the plugs connected to your case fans and plug the male side into the female
molex cable on your power supply. This takes a bit of force to get in, and even
more force to get out (seriously, these are my least favourite cables of all
time).
Note that some fans, like the one
on your CPU, might have a smaller connector that actually plugs into your
motherboard instead of the power supply instead of via Molex. The small headers
will be labled CPU FAN or SYS FAN. This not only gives power to your fans, but
also lets you control their speed with certain programs.
Front Panel Audio, USB, and
FireWire Connectors: Most cases have a few ports on the front, which can
include but are not limited to USB, FireWire, headphone, and microphone jacks.
You should see some small cables coming out of the front of your case labelled
things like USB, HD AUDIO, and 1394 (which is FireWire). Plug these into their
corresponding 8-pin headers on the motherboard usually labelled USB, AUD, and
1394, or something of the sort.
Power Switch and LED Connectors:
Lastly, you should have a few small cables labelled POWER SW, RESET SW, HDD
LED, and so on. These connect the switches and LEDs on the front of your case
to the motherboard, so you can actually turn your computer on. They all consist
of only one or two pins, and all plug in on an 8-pin header somewhere on the
motherboard. This varies from build to build, so you’ll have to check your
motherboard’s manual to see how they all plug in. Your motherboard may also
have a small speaker that plugs into an 8-pin connector, which you’ll find in
your motherboard box and will be listed in your motherboard’s manual.
A Note on Cable Management
As you’re doing all this, you want to be wary of where you’re putting these
cables. Generally, you want to keep them as out of the way as possible. The
more they’re tangled up in the middle of your case, the more they’re going to
block airflow from your fans, causing your computer to run hotter, louder, and
possibly even overheat. Your case may have come with some zip ties to help you
wrap them up and get them out of the way. Some cases even come with built-in
cable management features, like clips or holes through which you route these
cables to keep them out of the way.
Cable management is a beast unto
its own, and it differs from case to case, so it’s just something you’ll have
to fiddle with. I could do an entire night school on cable management, but I
won’t. If you have a particularly complicated build where a few simple zip ties
won’t suffice, I recommend checking out NCIX Tech Tip’s cable management guide,
which will take you through some more advanced cable management techniques.
Turning It On
When you’re done, plug in the power cable in the back, flip the power switch
on, and press the power button on the front of your case. If all goes well,
your computer should turn on and, if you plug a monitor into your video card
(or motherboard, if you don’t have a video card), you should see what’s called
the POST screen. From there, you can head into your BIOS setup by pressing a
key on your keyboard (usually DEL).
At this point, it’s probably time
to start cleaning up. I usually don’t throw anything away but the actual
garbage. I keep all the screws, brackets, and miscellaneous pieces I didn’t use
in the motherboard’s box, and that becomes my “build box”. That way, in future
builds, or if I upgrade that build, I always have extras of everything on hand
just in case. It’s come in handy on more than one occasion, so I can’t
recommend this enough if you have any pieces left over.
Common Troubleshooting
If your computer didn’t turn on, don’t panic. First, recheck everything inside.
Is your processor seated correctly? If your RAM all the way in its socket? Are
your cables plugged into the right sockets? (this is a big one). Run through
the entire process again to make sure you did everything correctly.
If your system turns on but makes
a beeping noise instead of going through the POST screen, then you have an
error. If you can find your motherboard’s BIOS manufacturer (either by watching
the POST screen or by searching online), you can diagnose these error codes to
find out what’s wrong with your system using these pages:
AwardBIOS Beep Codes
PhoenixBIOS Beep Codes
Also remember that Google is an extremely useful tool. If you’re having issues
but can’t figure out what’s wrong, try searching the net or posting on a
computer building forum like /r/buildapc. If nothing seems to help, you might
have a faulty piece of hardware, like your power supply or motherboard, and you
should go about exchanging it for something that works. I wouldn’t jump to this
conclusion too quickly, though dig around in your case and do some research to
make sure you didn’t just plug something in incorrectly.
Once you’ve got a working
computer, congratulations! You’re in the home stretch, now all you need to do
is install an operating system. That will be a whole different talk
at Best Technology some other time.
Take a look at one of the
possible builds you could do in the future. This is how I enjoyed the
experiment of building a computer without store spec limits.
